Authorities reported no fatalities, but crews had shifted into search mode Thursday morning, seeking to account for five to seven residents of the two adjacent buildings at the Flower Branch Apartments on Piney Branch Road.
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Paul Carden, spokesman for the American Red Cross, says approximately 70 of the almost 100 displaced residents have reported to the emergency shelter that has been set up at the Long Branch Community Center on Piney Branch Rd.
County officials said they were receiving multiple calls from people trying to reunite with loved ones and they were sending those people to a local elementary school.
Washington Gas spokesman Jim Monroe told the Post the utility was supporting the investigation but declined to say if there had been any problems at the apartment complex previously. When he decided it was safe to rise to his feet, he saw flames coming from the basement and first floor of the apartment building in front of him.
“We were sleeping when we felt everything started shaking”.
Chief Goldstein says that the explosion in the complex only caused one building to collapse, but four other buildings in the Maryland complex are in danger of collapsing. Officials made comments in English and Spanish during a Thursday news conference. We thought it was an quake, or just a tremor.
About 100 people were displaced by the explosion and fire, Hamill said. And when we came out to the living room, it was full of smoke.
As she was running out of the building, she frantically pounded on her neighbours’ doors yelling “Fuego”.
A shelter was set up last night at Long Branch Community Center, 8700 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring, but do not bring donations to that location.
“The number of households impacted is significant”, Carden said.
First responders flooded the scene just before midnight after an off-duty police officer heard sounds that led him to the Flower Branch Apartments, where he found some units going up in flames and part of the building collapsing.
The Red Cross was working with families to determine their needs.
“To basically be in an event where people were blown out of their beds … and what they own is lying across the street, that’s a key difference” from a typical fire evacuation, he said.
On Wednesday, a resounding blast occurred shortly before midnight that could be heard over a mile away and shook the affected buildings, 8701 and 8703 Arliss, like an natural disaster, some residents said.
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Clothing was seen strewn in sidewalk treetops in video footage provided by fire officials. “I’ve never seen a fire like this in my life”.
